


Fast Forward

by antaran



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: F/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-03 00:44:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2831996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antaran/pseuds/antaran
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hinami tells Kaneki about a comet that can speed up time. While Kaneki continues to mull over the reasons he can't return to Anteiku. And then he finds a reason to return.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fast Forward

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vantas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vantas/gifts).



> This specific fiction is for tumblr user carcinology / vantas on Ao3.  
> I was a bit confused as to how should I incorporate time-traveling into the Tokyo Ghoul universe, but I hope I did it justice. And that you like it!
> 
> Have a Merry Christmas!

“And then papa used to tell me…”

 

The voice grew distant as his head sifted through different familiar faces. He couldn’t go back to Anteiku. Kaneki realized. He didn’t know when Aogiri could come back to attack, again. Provided they did. They could.

 

_Why were they making these half ghouls? What does the one eyed King truly want? And what will Aogiri do?_

 

Going back to Anteiku would mean to give up on finding answers. And without answers he wouldn’t be able to protect–

 

“Onee-chan, are you listening to me?” Kaneki’s daydream melted away and the voice came into focus. He found himself staring straight at the girl of fourteen talking to him.

 

“Huh? What was it, Hinami?” he said, looking gravely at the younger girl. “I’m sorry I was thinking back to something.”

 

“I was talking about the comet here,” Hinami huffed, pointing at an article in a newspaper. She had only recently taken up reading them.

 

“What about the comet?” Kaneki asked, making sure to pay attention this time.

 

“My papa used to tell me the comet can speed up time,” Hinami declared.

 

“Speed up time?” Kaneki repeated.

 

“Like fast forwards it!”

 

“Like time travel?”

 

“Something like time travel,” she said, “Apparently it can take you to the future. Have you read anything about that, Onee-chan?”

 

Kaneki scratched his head and flashed an awkward smile, “I’ve only read about that in science fiction books, Hinami. And I don’t know whether they are real.”

 

“I think they are real,” she said, her smile turning a little sad, “My papa wouldn’t lie to me.”

 

“I guess not,” Kaneki conceded. “Shouldn’t you be going to bed, Hinami? It’s late.”

 

“I want to see the comet, Onee-chan! I’ll go to bed later,” she looked towards Kaneki with a much happier expression “You go ahead to bed, you look exhausted.”

 

“Yeah,” Kaneki closed his eyes and could see the day flash before him. At Anteiku with Yoshimura. And then Touka’s angry face at the bridge. Touka.

 

“I am a little exhausted,” he said quietly, before walking into his room.

 

In the usual silence that greeted him with the overlay of morning light over his eyelid, there was an unusual creak. Kaneki’s body tensed. He felt something shift next to him. He forced his instincts to move to defense mode. But his instincts didn’t seem to acknowledge the danger at all. There was a sound of the door closing. Kaneki’s eyes still remained shut. His kagune was ready to flare upwards in the event of an attack. But minutes passed and there was none.

 

Soon realization set in the white haired boy that it probably had been one of his comrades. Strange, he thought – his eyes still shut – they had never entered his room without his permission before. (Except Tsukiyama once)

 

He sat up on the soft mattress, shaking off his bed hair. He put a hand over his shoulder stretching his arm. He instinctively reached for his cell phone to check the time when his hands froze. As did his entire body at the sight.

 

This wasn’t his room.

 

The room was bigger. Much bigger than the small apartment room he had inhabited. There was a large cupboard compassing most of it, a desk, a chair, lots of books, more books, a mirror, a table with…make up?!

 

Kaneki stood up, trying to balance himself on his feet. A dress – a woman’s dress – lying over the bed he had been lying on. A used pillow next to the one he’d used. Ruffled covers at the end of bed.

 

The young ghoul found himself backing away. _This wasn’t real._ He found his hands over his arm squeezing for him to wake up. _Wake up._

 

He heard the sound of a door unhinge. Involuntarily his head turned towards it. And his eyes caught the sight of his intruder – or who he had intruded.

 

Long legs reached upwards to meet the area between the thighs that remained clumsily covered by a towel. Kaneki’s cheeks flushed red before he could even look up to see who held it there.

 

“Ken? Are you okay?” The voice rang in his head. And the fragrance of the woman standing before him filled his nostril. _A familiar voice. A familiar fragrance._

Touka-chan…?

 

Locks of blue hair fell over her shoulders, while waves of it framed her face. Kaneki had to remind himself not to stare as his ex- coworker. But he could swear she looked much older than he had last seen her. (In many ways than one)

 

_How was he going to explain to her why he was there?_

_…he didn’t even know why he was there?_

_Or in fact where he was._

 

Touka, still holding the towel to her body, began to approach him. Cold sweat drops materialized on Kaneki’s forehead. There was a door behind Touka. He sucked in a deep breath. He probably deserved to get beaten up but not while she was – _like this._

 

“I’m really sorry about this, Touka chan,” the ghoul let out before making a beeline at the door. He closed it behind him and waited for the storm in shape of a ~~beautiful~~ young woman. But it didn’t come.

 

He stood at an unfamiliar hallway, suddenly aware of his shirtless-ness. _What is happening to me?_ He walked to the door at the end of hall and slid it open. The room was smaller than the one he had just escaped. The room was occupied by two couches, a coffee table, and three bookshelves but there were more books scattered around the room than on the shelves themselves. Even from his halfhearted glances he could tell these were that of his father. But for now Kaneki’s eyes fixated on something else – a sight stranger than his father’s book lying on the coffee table; and that was his own reflection on the mirror.

 

He had made sure the reflection was his; fought every instinct to break it with his kagune. And the mirror stood there. Showing him: himself. Except this “him” had black roots with white hair only at the edge of his hair. A scruff. And his physique. He looked taller.

 

_What’s happening to me?_

 

Kaneki withdrew his steps and fell back on one of the couches.

 

_“The comet can speed up time.”_

_“Speed up time?”_

_“Like fast forwards it!”_

_“Like time travel?”_

_“Something like time travel!”_

 

He heard the thud of the steps before Touka materialized before him. Her face wore the angry expression that he was so used to by now. But now over a much older face – a prettier even. Her hair, longer, curlier now, tied back but wisps flew all over and he got distracted.

 

“What is wrong with you?” Touka asked in a tight tone of voice. She stood there with her arms crossed, staring straight at Kaneki. While he, not knowing what to do, tried to reason with what seemed like the only plausible explanation.

 

“What date is it, Touka chan?” he managed.

“What?”

“…What date is it?”

 

He watched the annoyance rise to her face. “Far from the wedding if that’s what you’re worrying about. And there doesn’t even need to be a stupid wedding if that’s what you’re acting out for.”

 

_Wedding…?_

“Touka-chan, I…” as Kaneki tried to conjure coherent sentences – prayers he didn’t know he had praying were answered at the sound of the doorbell ring.

 

Touka and Kaneki stared at each other for a long time, before Touka begrudgingly went to answer it. The unknown visitor’s voice echoed through the hall. Even from the room – which Kaneki assumed was reasonably far from the front door – he could hear the voice. He could recognize the voice. _Hide?_

The young ghoul’s reaction delayed as he tried to process his surroundings. _The surrealism of his surroundings_ , to be exact. There was a Touka, who was older and ~~even more beautiful and,~~ angry at him for a _wedding…?_ And now Hide was here. His childhood friend. The one that knew nothing about him being a ghoul, or the ghoul world. _That one._

“Oh, Kaneki,” he could hear the best friend calling out before the best friend himself appeared before him at the door. “Oi, why are you naked? Touka-chan isn’t the only one at home right now, you know.”

 

Hide had said. But he was completely unfazed by Kaneki’s shirtless-ness. _And Kaneki’s white hair._

Hide took a seat next to Kaneki, setting down a paper bag he had been carrying.

 

“Oi, Kaneki,” Hide lowered his voice and put a hand over his mouth, “Did you do something, again? Touka-chan seems angry.”

 

Kaneki stared at his friend, mouth agape.

 

“Hide…” he fumbled with his words, “What are you…doing here?”

 

_Future…?_

_Is this really the…future?_

_So, then does Hide…know?_

Hide blinked at him. “I thought we were getting your dress fit?”

 

Hide promptly put his hand on his best friend’s forehead, “You okay, man? Do you need some human flesh? I don’t dig it but I’m sure _Yomo-chan_ can manage some for you.”

 

Kaneki continued to stare at Hide. Hide stared back at Kaneki. Beads of sweat materialized on Kaneki’s forehead. He put his hand on the couch and balanced himself on his two feet. He slowly put his two hands over his head. And then he screamed.

 

If Touka had heard him scream, she hadn’t bothered to wonder in to ask why. Hide on the other had been staring at him, bewildered.

 

“You know about me?”

“For a long time now, man,” Hide said putting a hand on Kaneki’s shoulder and sitting him, “Like since elementary school. I mean initially I thought you were kinda weird but I said hey, anyway.”

“No, not that- that I am –”

“Really bad with women…?” Hide finished disapprovingly. He shook his head and then nodded, “I know, man.”

“No, that I’m a ghoul,” Kaneki spluttered out.

“Oh, yeah,” Hide said non-chalantly, connecting the end of his fisted hand to his other palm, “That too, I know that too. But I don’t see how that has anything to do with your fight with Touka-chan.”

“Hide, I don’t know what’s going on I- I don’t think any of this happened.”

“Amnesia…?” Hide offered.  

Kaneki sat back down covering his face. _Did he really travel forward in time?_

“Hide,” Kaneki piped up, “Is everything okay? Are we…are we safe?

“Yes, amnesiac Kaneki,” Hide answered, “Last I checked.”

“So we’re safe here? In this time…?” Kaneki asked, his eyes growing wide.

“Well the CCG sometimes gets a little tense-y but we’re mostly–”

 

But before Hide could finish explaining, Kaneki wrapped him in a tight hug. _Safe was fine._ If everyone was safe it was fine.

 

When Hide left after vaguely filling him in, but mostly talking about how Kaneki made for the worst bridegroom, he heard the entrance open again to let Touka in – To let his _fiancée_ in. He corrected himself. He unsurely went ahead to greet her, but she stood there with her arms crossed.

 

Implicitly demanding an explanation for something Kaneki couldn’t explain.

 

Kaneki gingerly inched closer and reduced the distance between him and the girl, he didn’t know what category-to-put-into. She stood there like she had been earlier in the morning. Years – apparently – had instilled a significant height difference between the two. Touka stared at up at him, the anger in her darker shade of blue eyes, visible.

 

“Touka, I’m sorry…about this morning,” he implored, raising his arms at his side.

 

She closed her eyes, “I don’t know what you’re planning, again. If you’re planning to whisk away and have your attempt at saving the world or some shit you always try to do.”

 

Kaneki saw a familiar anger build up in her.

 

“If you find satisfaction in running off on your own, then go ahead. But stop treating me like I’m helpless. That I can’t take care of myself.”

 

“I feel like this isn’t just about this morning,” Kaneki mumbled.

 

 “Stupid Kaneki,” she concluded with her eyes downcast, “You piss me off.”

 

Kaneki felt a tangible silence in the room. Touka was livid, again. Not livid. Sad. _Touka was sad._ She was sad on the bridge. And she was sad right now. He drew even closer to the ghoul – two years his junior in age, but years older as a ghoul.

 

It occurred to him that she looked smaller. Or, maybe well he was bigger. But it was there, since that night that even – Touka-chan was fallible.

 

Kaneki’s cheeks blushed furiously, but he found it in himself to put his raised arms on Touka’s waist. They slid down to her hips and he pulled her closer to him. _Fiancée,_ he told himself. Her expression remained unchanged – clearly accustomed to the motion _and the closeness -_ unlike him. He sucked in a breath, and inadvertently her scent. The scent of her hair. She – her hair – smelled like shampoo, and…coffee. The one scent and taste that had transcended his human life and his ghoul. And somehow Touka had managed to embody it.

 

Feeling what seemed to be a heartbeat rate of 400 beats per minute in his chest, Kaneki put his lips against Touka’s forehead. It was surprisingly easy to envelop her in his arms. She looked up to meet his eyes. Her head slightly tilted against his. It would be simple to meet his lips with hers. And it would be nice to feel her lips like he had already felt her hands. Strong hands, but still soft from the constant healing – incapable of developing calluses despite all the fights she had fought.

 

So her lips would be – he closed the distance – a little chapped, but soft. Unlike her hardened exterior, her lips could be so soft; it would be funny if his heads hadn’t been spinning due to the lack of oxygen for completely different reasons.

 

She was a good kisser, she bit at his lower lip, the side of her nose brushed against his and he felt her tremor against him. But she pulled away fast to kiss his jaw, and the side of his lips. His hands resting on her hips slid behind her and under her shirt. One went under her shirt, the other hovered below.

 

Her hands – unlike Kaneki’s – felt no insecurity as they ran through his hair, touched his neck, and his back. She pulled him closer to her, and Kaneki felt a similar rush like the first time he had eaten another ghoul.

 

_But this feels better._

 

Kaneki connected their lips, again. This time he felt no reservations letting his hand explore under her shirt while his other hand grabbed her butt. Touka broke the lock kissing his neck, and murmuring something into his skin.

 

“Come back to Anteiku, Kaneki.”

 

“Anteiku…?” he asked, confused.

 

“Come back.” She repeated.

 

_Come back._

_Come back._

_Come back._

 

_“Trash like you should stay out of Anteiku.”_

His eyes flew open at the echo of the words. Then there was silence, again. His bed was harder. The room was familiar. And there was no one next him.

 

\---------

 

Kaneki sat on the couch with six pairs of eyes looking to him. He took a breath before he began,

 

“I have something to announce.”

 

“Announce…?” simultaneously repeated Banjou and Tsukiyama.

 

“I want to disband our group.”

 

 

   

 

 


End file.
